Lafayette College will see voting beyond Election Day as the student body looks to elect its next Student Government executive board. The ballot is the busiest the organization has seen in years, and the candidates are notably green, with the majority having not completed even a semester of college.

Ballots will be available from Monday to Friday at noon, according to Student Government.

Here are the student body leadership options for the next year:

President

Rep. Milan Iezzi ‘28

Iezzi’s platform is centered on three words: empowerment, connection and progress.

“I don’t think that it’s correct to say that Student Government interprets what the students want,” Iezzi said. “I think we listen to what the student wants, and we act according with the student needs and wants.”

The McKelvy scholar and residence advisor said that, if elected, she would host regular town halls for students and formal reports on the organization’s activities. She aims to break down Student Government’s operations in a “digestible way” through social media.

As a member of the general body, Iezzi co-wrote the resolution for Student Government’s club delegate system, something she said would help students better understand the organization’s campus-wide impact. 

“I’ve been able to establish a face-to-face connection,” she said. “And I think that interpersonal face-to-face connection is something that I want to build upon regularly and advocate for the students regularly with administrators.”

Rep. Allie Waxman ‘28

If elected, Waxman has a variety of ways she hopes to improve the student experience. She said her platform is inspired by her involvement on campus; she’s a tour guide, orientation leader, member of a capella group and participant in the Lafayette Student Alumni Council. 

“When I had the opportunity to think about, ‘Can I make a difference here at Lafayette?’ I felt like I wanted to take that opportunity,” she said.

Waxman hopes to advocate for improved dining experiences and to publicize more mental health resources at the counseling center. She helped implement the campus switch to Grubhub this fall as a member of the Student Government dining committee. 

She also wants to start a campus life skills initiative, with sessions covering subjects like renting an apartment or managing taxes. 

Waxman said she also intends to create fun orientation experiences for each class year when they return to campus after break. 

Vice president

Rep. William Bennett ‘28

The student body president in high school, Bennett said he hopes to improve Student Government’s internal work and strengthen connections with other student organizations.

“I think it’s really important to me that we have an increased presence on campus,” he said.

The Florida native is behind a $65,000 proposal to tap Student Government’s reserve budget for a campus upgrade, either to refurbish the Marlo Room or revamp outdoor recreation on campus with pickleball nets and outdoor chess tables. Student Government will soon vote on one of the proposals. 

“This is a good example of how tangible things could better student life,” he said. 

Bennett, the chair of the student life committee, recently updated Student Government’s website and uploaded all of the year’s meeting minutes, something historically inactive and out of date, as reported by The Lafayette.

Rep. Annabel Hooey ‘28 

Hooey’s passion for volunteering and working with children with disabilities inspired her to use her voice and “make positive change in this world, even on a greater scale one day.”

She said she hopes to improve accessibility on campus, though she did not want to commit to a plan until vetting feedback from students first in the position.

“As a part of my platform, believe that I’m not going to sit here and make a promise that I can’t keep,” she said.

Hooey emphasized her lack of affiliation with Greek Life, a change from the members of the current executive board, saying that it gives her “a sense of neutrality and the ability to have no judgment of my stance.” Bennett is not affiliated either.

“Your role is the internal viewpoint of the government and to ensure that members are being given the resources that they need,” said Hooey, describing the position.

Treasurer

Treasurer Gracie Vale ‘27

Vale is running for treasurer uncontested and is the only candidate on the ballot with previous executive board experience. As the incumbent treasurer, she hopes that her being a “familiar face” will allow her to build on her previous year’s work.

The incumbent enters the race with a solid track record from the past year. Under her leadership, Student Government completed its rewrite of its financial guidelines — a document outlining how the organization distributes funds — and saw several new communication channels.

In her intent-to-run form, Vale noted that another year would allow her to “experiment with the effects of the guidelines and examine what is working and what isn’t working.”

She also said that she hopes to structure mandatory budget information sessions differently to fit audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the rules.

Communications officer

Murtaza Malik ‘29

Malik — who said he has not attended a Student Government meeting — said his fresh outlook as a first-year and unique perspective as a student from Pakistan make him fit for the role.

“I want to be someone who can help out those who maybe are not as vocal as other people might be,” Malik said. If elected, he plans to continue promotion of the organization’s work and mentioned the dining survey as one of the outreach strategies he would like to expand on.

The freshman said he is also brainstorming strategies to address representative absences, a pattern that Student Government improved upon this year.

“We could also start recording the meeting so that if someone misses it, they can send a recording and then give their suggestions separately,” he said.

Hayden Cohen ‘29

Hailing from Westchester, New York, Cohen said she came to Lafayette with the intention of getting involved in Student Government. She cited her prior experience in her high school’s student government as communications officer and vice president as qualifications for the role. 

Describing herself as “savvy” with social media, Cohen said she plans to do more with the organization’s platforms, such as making the current meeting agenda more detailed.

A key part of Cohen’s platform is to make Student Government more known to first-year students. With no criticisms of her predecessor, Cohen said she also plans to expand Student Government’s existing campus outreach strategies to include a weekly newsletter and the potential addition of a weekly “video-catch-up.”

Matthew Simpson IV ‘27

The only upperclassman in his race, Simpson said he is running to improve the organization’s efficiency and increase the organization’s one-on-one interactions with students. 

One of his top priorities is to establish a “high standard of rigor” for the organization’s meeting minutes by increasing detail and accessibility.

“It should truly be laid out that you can read through it and almost imagine yourself there for each beat of the conversation,” he said.

Despite his lack of prior involvement in Student Government, Simpson said he hopes to expand Student Government’s new club representative system and create more meet-and-greet events.

Inclusivity officer

Jackson Holder ‘29

Holder brings extensive volunteer work with food insecurity and homelessness from his hometown in Michigan, which made him especially interested in the Pard Pantry.

“I saw that would be a spot where I can make the most difference,” he said. Holder aims to expand Pard Pantry outreach and divert greater college funds to the program.

Additionally, he plans to create a survey to evaluate student experiences with inclusivity and reform the current forum for affinity and multicultural-based student organizations to promote greater participation. He was not aware of the existing student organization delegate system.

On inclusivity at the college, Holder said that he has observed a tendency within the student body to not use inclusive language and called Student Government “not a very diverse place,” both of which he aims to remedy.

Evalina Ibrahim ‘29

The Summit, New Jersey, native brings with her leadership experience from student government in a high school where she was part of the small percentage of girls in her graduating class, which she explained as a major motivator for her interest in inclusivity.

“I want to make sure that Lafayette is a place where every student’s voice is heard and every student feels seen,” she said.

Ibrahim is also interested in focusing on the Pard Pantry and expanding its outreach to the student body, along with updating what stock is kept and how.

She also mentioned establishing office hours to create a direct communication channel with students, an idea proposed — though ultimately abandoned — by her predecessor, Luna Garces ‘27.

Contrary to her opponent, Ibrahim said she believes Student Government is inclusive, citing the new delegate system created by her predecessor and the student affinity group forums.

Parliamentarian

Amy Atuhaire ’29

First-year students have less of a voice in Student Government affairs, according to Atuhaire. As such, she wants to advocate for students who “may not always feel as represented.” Specifically, she mentioned implementing suggestion boxes and ways for students to get questions addressed, even if they can’t make it to general body meetings.

“Being a first year isn’t really a negative,” Atuhaire said. “I’m able to bring a new experience and a new perspective.” 

As for keeping the organization accountable, “mistakes are going to happen,” Atuhaire said.

“I would be very hesitant to essentially just keep beating down on them, essentially for their mistakes,” she said. “I would instead want to look at their mistakes to then create more positive change for our community.” 

Isaac Stein ‘29

Stein said he hopes to provide visibility to the role of parliamentarian and the changing Student Government constitution.

“I think one goal I would have is to make myself known, and to make people understand that I’m an ally,” Stein said. 

He added that, currently, “many people are beyond not even knowing what’s going on,” about Student Government’s policies and actions. 

Stein admitted that, while he is not familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order, he has attended a Student Government meeting. 

Matthew Valenta ‘29

To Valenta, the role of parliamentarian is one students should be able to rely on as a “neutral body,” someone who can resolve meeting conflicts and address issues of constitutionality without bias. 

“I don’t see the parliamentarian role as a power position,” he said. “I see it more as someone who can make Student Government more transparent and more fair for everybody.” 

That transparency would take the form of regular recap updates on Instagram, according to Valenta. He mentioned that, currently, “some people might be unknown to what we’re actually doing.”

Valenta also emphasized the importance of constitutional knowledge among Student Government members. He plans to create a “parliamentarian handbook” for members to refer to with common procedural questions, mentioning how there’s currently “a little bit of confusion” with operations.

Kelly Wyne ‘29

Wyne cited over a decade of Boy Scouts leadership experience as making him the right candidate to help lead Student Government.

He hopes to create change as parliamentarian, although he noted that what form that change could take could vary depending on how the role’s responsibilities change as Student Government seeks to implement a new structure for its representatives.

“It really just depends on my ability within the role and how it is or is not expanded in that term,” he said.

“If there’s things that would benefit the student body, that’s really what I’m aiming towards,” he added.

A correction was made on Nov. 7, 2025: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Matthew Simpson IV ’27 is a delegate to Student Government’s new club representative system. Simson attempted to serve as a delegate for the Socialist Reading Group Club, but was denied participation because the club is not recognized by Student Government as an official student organization.

A correction was made on Nov. 8, 2025: A previous version of this article wrongly referred to Amy Atuhaire ’29 as Amy Atuhaire Byaruhanga ’29.